Keratin-containing fibers are understood to include, in principle, all animal hair, e.g., wool, horsehair, angora hair, furs, feathers, and products or textiles produced therefrom. However, the keratin fibers are preferably human hair.
An attractive hairstyle is generally considered to be an indispensable part of a well-groomed appearance today. Because of current fashion trends, hairstyles which, for many hair types, can be created and/or maintained for a long time period to several days only by using strengthening active substances are again and again considered desirable. Therefore, hair treatment agents that are used to permanently or temporarily shape the hair play an important role. While the chemical structure of the keratin-containing fiber is modified by reduction and oxidation in the case of permanent shaping, such modifications of the chemical structure do not occur in the case of temporary shaping. Corresponding agents for temporary shaping typically include synthetic polymers and/or waxes as the strengthening active substance. Agents for supporting the temporary shaping of keratin-containing fibers can be prepared as hair spray, hair wax, hair gel, and hair mousse, for example. In particular, application in the form of a spray or a foam by means of aerosol dispensing containers is very popular.
The most important property of an agent for temporarily shaping keratin fibers, also referred to as a styling agent below, consists in giving the treated fibers the strongest possible hold in the newly formed shape, i.e., the shape applied to the fibers. If the keratin fibers are human hair, this is also referred to as strong hairstyle hold or a high degree of hold of the styling agent. The hairstyle hold is determined mainly by the type and amount of the strengthening active substances used, wherein the further constituents of the styling agent and the form of application can also have an influence.
In addition to a high degree of hold, styling agents should also meet a range of further requirements. These can be roughly divided into properties on the hair, properties of the particular formulation, e.g., properties of the foam or of the sprayed aerosol, and properties relating to the handling of the styling agent, wherein the properties on the hair are especially important. In addition to moisture resistance and/or low tackiness, a balanced care effect is particularly noteworthy. Furthermore, a styling agent should be universally usable for all hair types to the extent possible and should be gentle on the hair and skin.
In order to meet the different requirements, a large number of synthetic polymers that are used in styling agents have been developed as strengthening active substances in the prior art. The polymers can be divided into cationic, anionic, non-ionic, and amphoteric strengthening polymers. When the polymers are applied to the hair, the polymers ideally result in a polymer film, which on the one hand gives the hairstyle strong hold but on the other hand is sufficiently flexible not to be break under load. If the polymer film is brittle, film flakes are formed, i.e., residues that detach when the hair is moved and give the impression that the user of the corresponding styling agent has dandruff. Similar problems result if waxes are used as a strengthening active substance in the styling agent.
Application in the form of an aerosol in particular requires additional measures. It should be possible to distribute the aerosol product well on the keratin-containing fiber, i.e., it should be possible to apply the composition evenly as a fine spray mist in a targeted manner in the case of products in the form of an aerosol spray. If the composition is applied in the form of an aerosol foam, this foam should be voluminous and stable enough to be applied to the fibers. At the same time, however, this foam should collapse easily on the fiber to ensure that the fibers are adequately wetted with the composition.
An especially important requirement that a modern styling agent should also meet is an adequate care effect. In particular, a care effect is taken to mean that, after the application of the styling agents, the hair has a soft texture and shine, is easy to comb, and has high volume and high flexibility. In the past, however, the incorporation of common hair care active substances into styling agents sometimes led to worse hold of the hair.
Therefore, the problem addressed by the present invention was that of providing agents for temporarily shaping keratin-containing fibers that are distinguished by a high degree of hold and that can be applied well to the keratin-containing fibers. It should be possible to apply the agents to the fiber particularly as a fine, targeted spray mist or as a quickly collapsing foam. Furthermore, the agents should leave behind on the hair an optimal balance between satisfying hold and conditioned hair feel.
The combination of a propellant with a cosmetic composition, which includes a specific hair care active substance in addition to a strengthening active substance, is suitable for solving this problem.
Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the invention and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with this background of the invention.